Chicken with Orzo, Asparagus and Parmesan

This past weekend I watched Julie & Julia. At the end of the movie they indicated the "Julie" part of the movie was based off a true story. I didn't know much about Julia Child before I saw that movie, but it got me interested enough to put her book on hold at the library.

As I watched Julie go through the cookbook I thought about all the recipes I've made in the past years. Some I've liked, some I've not, many not too adventurous, but interesting and I enjoyed doing it.

Then I got to thinking about the process of cooking. I tend to follow recipes "a bit" and then add in my own two cents. While I see nothing wrong with that, I've decided that I'm going to make a concerted effort to follow recipes. I mean actually measure and use the right ingredients instead of substitution.

Tonight I made Chicken with Orzo, Asparagus and Parmesan. I started by reading the entire recipe through. I've learned my lesson a couple of times about not reading it through and then getting half way into it to find out I'd done something wrong.

After reading through it a couple of times, I measured out my ingredients. I've had these little prep dishes for some time and figured, why not use them. Measuring out the ingredients gave me a chance to actually see how much certain amounts were.

Ahem, back to the recipe. After I had everything sorted, I started from the top and followed the entire recipe to the nth degree. The result was a flavorful, balanced dinner. Delicious.

Chicken with Orzo, Asparagus and Parmesan

Serves 2

• 1/4 cup Flour
• 2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6-8oz each)
• Salt and Pepper
• 3 T Olive oil
• 3/4 cup Orzo
• 1 shallot, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced, about 3 tsps
• 1 tsp Minced fresh Thyme (now I didn't have fresh thyme so I used dried)
• 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
• 2 T Lemon juice
• 1 3/4 cup Low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1" lengths
• 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Place flour in a shallow dish. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Its important you pat the chicken dry. Excess moisture will not let you get the golden brown you want with the chicken. Working with one breast at a time, dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off the excess.

Heat 1 T oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Carefully lay chicken in the skillet and coke until well browned on the first side, 6-8 minutes. Flip the chicken breasts, reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until the thickest part registers 160-165 on a meat thermometer. Transfer to a plate, tent with foil and put in the oven to keep warm.

Wipe out the skillet. Add 1 T oil and the orzo to the skillet and toast over medium heat until light golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the shallot, 2 tsp of garlic, 1/2 tsp thyme and 1/4 tsp lemon zest and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the broth and bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, for 4 minutes. Stir in the asparagus, cover and continue to cook until the liquid is absorbed, the orzo is al dente and the asparagus is crisp tender, 4-6 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, whisk 1 T lemon juice, 1T oil, remaining 1 tsp garlic, remaining 1/2 tsp thyme, and remaining 1/4 tsp lemon zest together in a small bowl.

Off the heat, stir in Parmesan and remaining 1 T lemon juice into the skillet and season with salt and pepper.